Thin Pinstriped Line

The National Archives in Kew is arguably the finest archive record store in the world. Filled with files dating back centuries, it is a location that one can go and spend a day reading through historical paperwork, picking up files containing paperwork handled by some of the great figures in history and learn about lesser known triumphs or deeply unsettling activities of the British State over many centuries. Its online archives are equally potent, containing much information that can be downloaded at home and read – often these are files that have been ignored for decades and long since forgotten about. This blog is the short account of a file that shines a very different light on the UK at a time when the wider political environment was not welcoming to immigrants, and where social values were utterly different to today. It is perhaps a mark of how far things have changed for the better that this file now is so repulsive in its intent. The aim here is to highlight thinking and view...

  The United States Navy is on track to have the first female Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) appointed to head the Service. Admiral Lisa Franchetti has been nominated to take over the role, marking the first time that a woman has led the US Navy and has been appointed to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This is without doubt good news (even if the confirmation may take some time due to Senate politics). Hopefully the UK and other NATO allies will also be in the place where female officers are seen as credible candidates to lead their Services too soon. Just to say that last sentence on Twitter is to ignite a firestorm of easily triggered individuals who are convinced that this will only happen due to ‘quotas’. There is something deeply concerning about the deeply insecure toxic masculinity present on social media that seems to act as if the world is ending should anyone other than a white, heterosexual, male be appointed to senior military roles (ideally a right hander too as lefties ...

  If you believe the latest reports from the House of Commons Defence Select Committee (HCDC) Defence procurement is broken and in urgent need of fixing. Is this a fair analysis or has Parliament not given a fair hearing to the MOD? One of the most timeless topics in defence coverage is that of defence procurement delays and cock ups resulting in useless equipment being delivered far too late to be of any use. A few weeks ago, while visiting the lovely town of Berwick Upon Tweed with fellow blogger ‘Fighting Sailor’, both of us were struck by the signs around the town walls. Berwick used to be a critical settlement on the border between England and Scotland and was fought over for many centuries. As part of a programme of defence improvements in the Tudor era, walls were built around most of the town, but the project was late, over budget and failed to deliver as expected – meaning not all the walls were built. A timeless story of Government failing to project manage defence p...

  Should serving military personnel be permitted to transfer across to the Civil Service to ensure their skills are of value to the nation? This is the simple premise of an idea floated by No10 ahead of next weeks defence paper. Its an interesting idea but one that promises to be far more complex than it may first appear. At the moment the three armed services are essentially isolated silos, generally entered only by bottom up recruitment and where lateral entry is, regrettably, all but impossible. It is theoretically possible to change Service and is done surprisingly regularly, but once you have left regular service, you are out of the system. There is no means to cross over from the Armed Services to the Civil Service, which operates on a totally different career structure and terms of employment. The Prime Minister seems to be promoting an idea that would allow serving personnel to essentially ‘zig zag’ between the military and civil service, enabling them to pursue one care...

  The recapture of the Falkland Islands in 1982 is, rightly, one of the proudest moments of post-war British military history. The operation to send a task force thousands of miles from home, operating at the end of a lengthy logistical supply chain and then fight against a brave, talented, and professional foe before securing victory is something that represents a truly audacious military operation. The importance of fighting to defend your territory and protect your sovereignty is also a message carried to this day by Ukraine, in the valiant efforts by the magnificent women and men of the Ukrainian armed forces repelling the illegal and unprovoked Russian invasion. The question that has dogged media coverage since this point, usually in light of defence reviews and cuts to the armed forces is ‘could the UK mount another Falklands operation?’ Its an article that has been rolled out many times over the years, usually with soundbites from whichever ‘I used to be someone important’...